Getting Clean by Going Green

Ever since our civilization became industrialized, humans have heavily relied on nonrenewable resources. It is crucial to adopt more environmentally-friendly habits and turn to renewable sources for our energy needs. Read on for some useful tips on changing your lifestyle!

Green Cleaning Supplies

Most of the cleaning supplies sold in stores contain harsh chemicals. When these chemicals flow into the earth or the air, they can cause much harm to both the environment and living creatures alike. However, there are many eco-friendly alternatives for making DIY cleaning supplies. Simple ingredients like lemon, baking soda, and vinegar can be substituted instead.

Replacing ‘Old-Style’ Light Bulbs

The older style of incandescent light bulb uses high amounts of energy in their lifetime. Recently, a newer light bulb was been introduced. It is called a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL), and is distinctive because of its spiral shape. CFLs use far less energy to produce a brighter light, and last much longer too!

Unplugging Rarely-Used Appliances

Did you know that even when appliances are not actively being used, they still draw power? Besides burning more fossils fuels to provide that extra energy, the other disadvantage is that homeowners are billed for energy that they aren’t using. Unplugging appliances is the best way to overcome this issue. An even easier solution is to use power strips or timers for multiple appliances.

Updating Old Appliances

Old appliances were made with old technologies. Unlike today’s machines, these old appliances were not designed with efficient energy use in mind. Therefore two machines that deliver the same service might have completely different energy requirements. Updating appliances is a great way to help reduce energy costs in the long run.

Solar Panels

Solar panels can be a little daunting to think about. Many of us tend to envision futuristic, pricey homes powered solely by the sun’s energy. In actual fact, solar panels are quite affordable. Even if they are not used for the home’s many energy requirements, they can be used for smaller tasks. For example, think about lighting the garden or driveway with solar lamps instead of leaving electric bulbs burning all night.